Teacher Training for Infant Development

Overseen By Ebony Holliday, PhD

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Hugo W. Moser Research Institute at Kennedy Krieger, Inc.

Disqualifiers: Outside Baltimore, Non-English speaking

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 9

15 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

The goal of the research study is to increase teachers' implementation of evidence-based practices in Early Head Start classrooms through the delivery of a professional development (PD) training intervention. The main questions that the study aims to answer are: 1. Does teacher participation in a PD intervention improve the use of evidence-based practices from pre- to posttest? 2. To what extent is the PD intervention feasible to implement in an established child care program? 3. To what extent is the PD program acceptable to teachers? Participants will attend PD workshops and participate in content-related job-embedded coaching sessions during the implementation of the study.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial protocol does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Building Capacity for Infant Achievements in Child Care?

Research shows that professional development programs for child care providers, like the Thrive by Three intervention, can improve the quality of caregiver-child interactions, which is linked to better cognitive and social development in children. Additionally, high-quality child care is associated with positive cognitive and language development in infants. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

How does the treatment 'Building Capacity for Infant Achievements in Child Care' differ from other treatments for infant development?

This treatment is unique because it focuses on training teachers to enhance infant development in child care settings, emphasizing caregiver training and child-staff ratios to improve cognitive and social competence, unlike other treatments that may focus on parental involvement or home environments. ^{1 5 6 7 8}

Research Team

Rebecca Landa, PhD, CCC-SLP

Principal Investigator

Kennedy Krieger Institute, Johns Hopkins University

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for Early Head Start teachers or assistants who work with children aged 8-36 months. They must be willing to attend two training workshops and eight follow-up coaching sessions to improve their teaching practices.

Inclusion Criteria

I currently work with children aged 8-36 months in a classroom.

Participants must work in the role of a teacher or teacher assistant in an Early Head Start location

I am willing to attend two 60-90 minute training sessions.

Exclusion Criteria

Works in a childcare setting outside of the Baltimore metro area

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Professional Development Workshop

Teachers participate in a professional development workshop session

2 hours

1 visit (in-person)

Coaching Sessions

Teachers engage in weekly job-embedded coaching sessions in their classrooms

8 weeks

8 visits (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for the effectiveness of the PD intervention

4 weeks

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Building Capacity for Infant Achievements in Child Care

Trial Overview The study tests a professional development intervention aimed at enhancing evidence-based teaching practices in child care settings. It evaluates the effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of this PD program among teachers.

Participant Groups

Group I: Teacher Professional Development Workshop and Coaching Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Teachers will participate in a professional development workshop session (approximately 2 hours in duration) followed by 8 weekly coaching sessions (approximately 45-60 minutes in duration). The study team (trained coaches) will utilize the Practice-Based Coaching model (Snyder et al., 2015) to support teachers' use of developmentally appropriate practices in early childhood classrooms. Teachers will be coached to implement strategies that foster responsive and nurturing relationships with young children.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Hugo W. Moser Research Institute at Kennedy Krieger, Inc.

Lead Sponsor

Trials

93

Recruited

25,200+

Johns Hopkins University

Collaborator

Trials

2,366

Recruited

15,160,000+

References

1. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Quality of center child care and infant cognitive and language development. [2022]

2. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Do Intervention Programs in Child Care Promote the Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions? A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. [2022]

3. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Promoting the Quality of Teacher-Toddler Interactions: A Randomized Controlled Trial of "Thrive by Three" In-Service Professional Development in 187 Norwegian Toddler Classrooms. [2021]

4. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Assessing Generalization During Professional Development in Child Care: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. [2022]

5. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Child-care structure-->process-->outcome: direct and indirect effects of child-care quality on young children's development. [2019]

6. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Promoting language and social communication development in babies through an early storybook reading intervention. [2019]

7. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Playgroups-their effects on the language and socialization of children. [2019]

8. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Self-guided behavioral skills training: A public health approach to promoting nurturing care environments. [2021]